Heather Watson spent years toiling in Laura Robson’s shadow, before assuming the role of British No1 when the Londoner faltered, but she was unable to deliver on the immense promise of her memorable battle with Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2015.
Now, as she continues to work on a game big on athleticism and light on power – and Robson struggles on the outer edges of her sport after being cut down by injury – Watson finds herself in the pecking order behind Johanna Konta, who has risen again to No9 in the world after winning her second WTA title in Sydney and is widely acclaimed for playing the best tennis of her own turbulent career.
It says much for Watson’s generosity of spirit that she could find time ahead of her own opening match here – against the unpredictable Australian Sam Stosur on Tuesday – to give one of the most popular players on the Tour the sort of uplifting assessment she deserves.
Konta, who beat Eugenie Bouchard and Agnieszka Radwanska in the two best consecutive performances of her career to win the Sydney Open in the city where she was born 25 years ago, has been handed a brutal draw. She starts against the talented Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, then faces the prospect of matches against Japan’s rising prospect Naomi Osaka, the former world No1 Caroline Wozniacki and one-time finalist here, Dominika Cibulkova, before what might be the match of the women’s draw, against Williams in the quarter-finals.
Watson, her friend and rival, thinks Konta is up to the challenge. “I watched a few of her matches on TV the last few days and she’s just playing so, so well. I’m just so impressed with her tennis and how tough mentally she’s on the court now,” said Watson. “She’s winning every single week. The only first-round match I can remember her losing is Roland Garros. Apart from that she’s consistent week in week out. She works really hard, is very professional and Jo is definitely a contender for slams.”
She did not see her awesome 6-4, 6-2 win over Radwanska in the final in Sydney the night before, “because I was at a Fed Cup dinner – and she couldn’t come because she was winning.”
Watson added: “I feel there’s always a pattern with breakthroughs in tennis, like a plan. With [Angelique] Kerber [the defending champion and world No1], it was sort of the US Open and she just took off from there. With Jo, she made the fourth round of the US but I think she said her breakthough was semis here in Australia [last year].
“It’s possible when you get that confidence and you run with it, you can play really well for a long time.”
It would be nice to think Watson could join Konta in the upper reaches of her sport but she has a little way to go from 75 in the world. Still, it is not beyond her to re-enter the top 50, at least, and perhaps push on higher than that.
Konta, meanwhile, has the watchful respect of her peers. It is a testimony to the level she is playing at that the third seed Radwanska – who plays Tsvetana Pironkova in her opening match and could meet the British No1 again in the semi-finals – says she could not have played much better herself in the Sydney final.
“I’m very confident,” she said after her arrival here on Saturday. “I really hope I can play the same tennis, even the tennis I played in the final.”
To reach the semi-finals, she probably has to beat former teenage prodigy Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, the 28th-seed Alizé Cornet, 14th-seed Elena Vesnina and fifth-seed Karolina Pliskova – a decidedly less treacherous path than that confronting Konta.
But, as Konta continually reminds us, she is determined to “stay in the now”. It is one of the sporting cliches that rings true, especially for a player who has suffered from anxiety in the past, worrying about other people’s expectations and not trusting her talent. The way she hit the ball in Sydney over the past few days, that self-doubt looks to have evaporated. If she does play Radwanska in the semi-finals, it is the Polish player who is more likely to bring her reservations to the court.
IN WITH A SHOUT? THREE TO WATCH
Johanna Konta, No9 seed
Konta’s stunning rise began with an amazing run in 2015, but peaked almost a year ago when she made the Australian Open semi‑finals, ranked 47 at the time. Her aim no doubt will be to at least equal such success, this time with the added pressure of top‑10 status. She finished 2016 consistently, reaching the latter stages of tournaments, and her warm-up to the first major of the year has been confidence-instilling, winning in Sydney. A British woman had not been ranked in the top 10 since 1984, let alone won a grand slam – Virginia Wade was the last, at Wimbledon in 1977. Konta, 25, is shaping up to be Britain’s best bet since.
Garbiñe Muguruza, No7 seed
The world No7 may have been heralded as the breakout performer of 2016 if not for Angelique Kerber bagging her first two majors. Muguruza’s win at the French Open made waves. The rest of the season did not live up to that but the 23-year-old Spaniard has come back this year looking strong in her opening few matches in Brisbane, before having to retire because of a right thigh injury. If she recovers well she could be a real contender.
Dominika Cibulkova, No6 seed
Coming off the back of a sensational end to 2016, reaching the finals in Wuhan and winning in Singapore, the Slovak will be intent on continuing her success into the new year. Her form at the end of last year was arguably the best it has ever been as she entered the top 10 for the first time. Her start to 2017 has been slower, losing fairly early in Brisbane and Sydney, but the 27-year-old will definitely have her eyes set on making it late into the second week at Melbourne Park. by Molly McElwee
